Heating apparatus for closed receptacles.



J. A. WATERS.

PATENTED JULY 21, 1903.

HEATING APPARATUS FOR CLOSED REGEPTACLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4. 1902 WITN ESSES.

PATENTED JULY 21, 1903."

J. A. WATERS. HEATING APPARATUS FOR CLOSED REGEPTAGLES.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 4. 1902 4 SHEET S-SHBET 2.

H0 MODEL.

WITNESSES.

INVENTOR.

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"J. A. WATERS. HEATING APPARATUS FORCLOSED REGEPTAGLBS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1902.

4 sums-sum a.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES.

INVENTOR.

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No. 734,023. PATENTED JULY- 21, 1903. J. A. WATERS.

HEATING APPARATUS FOR CLOSED RBGEPTAGLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1902. N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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' baking-ovens, fruit-dryers,

is being constantly displaced by highly UNITE-n STATES Patented July 21 1903.

PATENT. OFFICE.

JOHN A. WATERS, OE STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters l atent N 0. 734,023, dated July 21, 1903. Application filed August 4,1902. Serial No. 118,313. (No model.)

To all whom it may concerm.

Be it known that I, JOHN A. WATERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stamford, county of Fairfield, State of Connecti cut, haveinvented a new and useful Heating Apparatus for Closed Receptacles, of which the following is a specification.

The principle of my invention is applicable to the heating of closed receptacles generally, as ovens and kilns, and for various usesas, for example, in japanning-ovens, lumber-drying kilns, steam-generating, the tempering of metal, &c.in brief, for anyordinary work requiring dry heat; and my invention consists, broadly, in the introduction of highly-heated air into a closed receptacle or receptacles and in providing means for regulating the admis sion of air into the receptacles and regulating theescape ofairtherefrom,so thatthecontents of the receptacles may be subjected to the action of currents of highly-heated air which heated new air and all portions of the receptacles may be raised to the same temperature or not, as may be required.

Owing to the serious objections of japanning-ovens as heretofore constructed, among which may be mentioned the great expense of running them, the serious danger of explosion, which has not been overcome in any of the types of ovens now in use, and the impossibility of producing uniform heat in all parts of the oven simultaneously and the consequent injury to work not only by the fumes of gases, which give it a smoked appearance, but from the fact that in order to secure the desired degree of baking heat for as large a portion of the work as possible a portion of it will still not be thoroughly baked and another portion will be seriously injured, if not ruined, by having been exposed for too long a time to an intense heat, I have selected a japanningoven which I have thoroughly tested in use as a means of illustrating the principle of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan View illustrating a form of my invention as applied to a japanning-oven in which the fuel is gas, the heatgenerator is within the oven, and the air is preheated before entering the heat-generator, the walls of the oven appearingin horizontalsection; Fig. 2, an end view corresponding therewith, the walls of the oven appearing in vertical section. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged transverse section of Fig. l, omitting the air-supply pipe; Fig. 4, a detail inverted plan view of the ainheating pipe and the distributing branches; Fig. 5, a detail plan view of the burner-pipe and the burners; Fig. 6, an elevation illustratinga form of my invention in which either coal, oil, or gas may be used for fuel, in which the heatgcnerator is located outside the oven, and in which theair is not heated before entering the heat-generator, the wall of the heat-generator and the walls of the oven being in vertical section; Fig. 7, a plan view of the same general character as Fig. 1, but illustrating a form of my invention in which a battery of'ovens is heated from a generator located outside of either of the ovens, but in which the air supplied to the heat-generator is heated before entering the generator; Fig. 8, a detail elevation; and Fig. 9 a detail sectional view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating a form of adjustable caps for the air-distributing pipes by which the admissionof air into the oven may be regulated; Fig. 10, a perspective of an oven, showing the vent pipe and its damper, doors, and openings for the pipes which pass into and out of the oven; and Fig. 11 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, illustrating a form of my invention in which a battery of ovens is heated by a single heat-generator, but without preheating the air.

20 denotesv an oven, kiln, or other closed space for the reception of heated air, the size or shape of the oven or the material of which it is built being wholly unimportant so far as the principle of the invention is concerned. It is simply required that theoven be provided with a vent-pipe, as 21, which is preferably provided with a damper 22.

23 denotes the oven-doors, which may be of any ordinary or preferred construction.

24 denotes the heat-generator as a whole, which may be of any suitable shape or size and may be located either within the oven, as in Figs. 1, 2,and 3, or exterior thereto, as in Figs. 6, 7, and 11.

25 denotes hot-air-distributing pipes within the oven, each of which terminates in an open end adapted to be closed by an adjustable cap 26. In Figs. 8 and 9 I have illustrated, on an enlarged scale, one form in which the caps may be made adjustable. The caps are shown as provided with downwardly-extending arms 27, having slots 28. Screws 29 extend through these slots and engage the pipes. To adjust the caps, it is simply necessary to loosen the screws and move the caps up or down, as may be, and then look them in position after adjustment.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, gas is used for fuel, the heat-generator 24 is placed within the oven, and the air for the heat-generator is preheated within the oven before passing to the generator. 30 denotes the air-supply pipe, which leads from a blower, (not shown,) so thatair may be supplied under any required degree of pressure. In this form the air-supply pipe extends within the oven before connecting with the heat-generator. The portion of the airsupply pipe within the oven and until it connects with the heat-generator I term for convenience the preheating-pipe and indicate by 31. 32 denotes the gas-supply pipe, and 33 a branch pipe leading from the preheatingpipe to the gas-supply pipe, so that the gas entering the heat-generator may be mingled with air in any desired proportion to give an intensely hot blue flame. 34 denotes valves in the preheating-pipe, the gas-supply pipe, and in branch pipe 33, so as to leave the regulation of the quantity of air entering the heat-generator or of mixed air and gas admitted for fuel easily within the control of the operator. 35 (see Fig. 3) denotes the air-heating pipe. This pipe is, in fact, a continuation of pipes 30 and 31, which I have for convenience designated, respectively, as the air-supply pipe and the preheating-pipe. The air passes from airheating pipe 35 into the chamber of heat-generator 24 by means of distributing branches 36 and openings 37. In use the air-heating pipe is surrounded by a flame from burners 38 upon burner-pipe 39, said burner-pipe 39 being a continuation of gas-supply pipe 32. It will be noted that in this form the air is preheated before entering the air-heating pipe, that while in the air-heating pipe it is heated to a still higher degree owing to the fact that this pipe is surrounded by an intensely-hot blue flame, and, furthermore, that when the air passes from the distributing-pipes into the chamber of generator 24it, in fact, passes into and mingles with the flame of the burners, thereby effecting in the heat-generator the greatest possible economy in fuel, entire avoidance of danger, as no flame can pass into the oven, and entire protection against injury from the gases of combustion or from irregular heating of the work to be operated upon. The highly-heated airin the heat-generator passes out into the oven through air-distributing pipes 25, each of which is provided with an adjustable cap 26, as already fully described. The number and location of the hot-air-distributing pipes and the caps is a matter wholly within the judgment of builders of ovens. It is for many purposes advisable to place the ends of the hot-air-distributing pipes and the adjustable caps well down near the bottom of the oven, as in Fig. 6. Other distributing-pipes may be placed at the sides of the oven, as in the same figure. For other purposes the hot-air-distributing pipes may terminate near the mid-height of the oven, as in Figs. 1 and 2. Where preheatingpipes are used to heat the air before it enters the heat-generator, it is well to. place the preheating-pipes directly over the caps of the hot-air-distributing pipes, as in Fig. 7, so that the currents of highly-heated air passing from these distributing-pipes into the oven will surround the preheating-pipes and greatly raise the temperature of the air therein before it passes to the heat-generator.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a form of my invention in which the heat generator is placed exterior to the oven and the preheating of air before it passes to the generator is dispensed with. In this form I have also shown means for utilizing either coal, oil, or gas as fuel. 40 denotes a grate, upon which is shown a mass of material (indicated by 41) to either support or facilitate combustionfor example, coal when the latter is used as fuel or a refractory material when oil or gas is used as fuel. 42 denotes a feed-pipe for use in supplying either gas or oil, 43 an oilsupply pipe, 44 an air-supply pipe, and 45 a gas-supply pipe, said pipes 43, 44, and 45 being provided with valves 34, so as to leave the regulation of the quantity of oil or gas and air to be supplied as fuel or to assist combustion easily within the control of the operator. In this form air enters the generator through air-supply pipe 30 and passes to the first of a series of chambers or coils, which are indicated by 46, the chambers or coils being shown as connected by pipes or tubes 47. In order to avoid misunderstanding, I designate in this form the pipe leading from the heat-generator to the oven by 48.

It should be understood that the form illustrated in Fig. 6 is merely one of the many variant forms in which the principle of my invention may be applied. For example, the air may be preheated, if preferred, as I shall presently explain in connection with Fig. 7, or, if preferred, this same type of heat-generator may be placed within the oven, as in Figs. 1 and 2, air to support combustion being conveyed through pipe 44 when either oil or gas is used for fuel, an additional air-supply being provided, if necessary, where this form of heat-generator is used within the oven and coal is used as fuel.

49 denotes asmoke-pipe, which maybe used when necessary, it being provided with a damper 22 to convey the products of combustion from the heat-generator. The products of combustion may be conveyed to the outer air in the usual manner, or where the fuel used is such that the products of combustion would have no deteriorating effect upon the work they may be discharged into the oven and permitted to escape with the heated air from the oven at vent-pipe 21.

The form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 7 differs from the form in Fig. 6 in that the air is preheated before entering the heatgenerator and a single heat-generator heats a plurality or battery of ovens. In this form an air-supply pipe 30 supplies air to preheating-pipes 31, which lead into the ovens, then return and connect with a pipe 50, leading to a heat-generator 24, which may be of any'preferred type. 51 denotes a pipe leading from the heat-generator to the ovens, and 52 special branch pipes leading from pipe 51 into the individual ovens, the heated air being distributed within the ovens by hot-air-distributing pipes 25, as in the other forms. Pipes 31 and 52 are provided with valves 34, so that the air for preheating may be shut out from either of the ovens. Likewise the supply of air to heat the ovens may be partially or wholly shut off.

The form illustrated in Fig. 11 differs from the form illustrated in Fig. 7 only in that preheating-pipes 31 and the return-pipe 50 are omitted. This is the simplest form in which I have carried my invention into effect. An air-supply pipe 30 delivers air to the heat-generator, which may be of any preferred type, a pipe 51 conducts the heated air from the heat-generator to the ovens, and special branch pipes 52 convey air from pipe 51 to the individual ovens, valves 34 being provided, so that air may be partially or wholly shut off from any of the ovens, if required.

For many purposes the use of a battery of ovens heated from a single heat-generator will be found to effect a great saving in the cost of running the ovens. For example, if it is required to carry on two different kinds of work at a time, requiring different degrees of heat, the desired result may be accomplished by regulating by means of the valves the amount of heated air supplied to each oven.

Another important advantage of my invention is that it enables me by means of the adjustable caps to insure the same degree of heat at all parts of the same oven,'or, if it is specially required to heat one part of an oven to a higher degree than the rest of the oven, the desired result may be readily accomplished by raising caps 26 on the hot-airdistributing pipes and admitting air freely into the portion of the oven it is desired to heat and lowering the caps on the hot-airdistributing pipes in other portions of the oven and partially or wholly cutting ofithe supply of heated air to the portion or portious of the oven it is not specially desired to heat.

By using one heat-generator for a battery of ovens I not only effect a great saving in fuel, but also in the cost of attendance, as one operator can manage the entire battery of ovens instead of several, as would be required if each oven was heated independently.

Other important uses of ovens or kilns with exterior heat-generators'are in fruit-driers,

lumber-drying kilns, &c., where a dry heat.

but without possibility of flame is required.

It is an essential feature of my invention that highly-heated air be admitted to the ovens under pressure, although the degree of pressure is immaterial so far as the principle of the invention is concerned, some uses of ovens or kilns requiring a relatively high pressureas, for example, sixty pounds or even more-and other uses requiring a relatively low pressure, sometimes as low as one pound.

It is an important feature of my invention that highly-heated air is being constantly forced into the ovens or kilns and displaces and forces out through the vent-pipes all inflammable gases as soon as generated, thus avoiding danger of explosion and also avoiding the smoked appearance of work in japanning-ovens, where smoke and gases are not quickly driven out. This is likewise true of anyinflammable gases or vapors that maybe produced by any process of distillation, baking, or boiling that may take place Within the oven. In other words, my novel method of heating kilns, ovens, &c., accomplishes the desired result by means of a hot blast, both the force of the blast and the temperature of the blast being varied within the judgment of the operator to suit the special requirements and conditions of different uses. For some kinds of drying I find it desirable that the temperature of the blast be as low as 150 Fahrenheit, and for some kinds of enameling a temperature as high as 1,400 or 1,500 Fahrenheit is required.

In all of the various uses to which this method of heating ovens and kilns is applied I secure better results than hasheretofore been possible and at very much less expense than has heretofore been possible, owing to the fact that all heat generated is utilized and the heat is capable of perfect regulation at the point of use, thus avoiding loss of work through over or under heating or through irregular heating.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination with a heat-generator, of a plurality of ovens each having a vent,

means for supplying air under pressure to theheat-generator, a pipe leading from the heat-generator and having branches to the individual ovens, a plurality of separate pipes for distributing the heated air to different locations within the ovens to enable articles therein to be uniformly heated, means for controlling the heated air admitted to each oven, and means for independently controlling the outlets from the different pipes in each oven.

2. The combination with a heat-generator, of a plurality of ovens each having a vent, means for supplying air under pressure to the heat-generator, a pipe leading from the heat-generator and having branches to the individual ovens, and hot-air-distributing pipes within the ovens each having an adjustable cap whereby the amount of air admitted to different portions of an oven may be regulated.

3. The combination with an oven having'a vent, of a heat-generator, means for supplying air thereto and independent hot-air-distributing pipes having their outlets at different elevations whereby air from the generator is distributed evenly within the oven, and means for independently controlling the outlets from the diiferent distributing-pipes in the oven.

4. The combination with an oven having a vent, of a heat-generator, means for supplying air under pressure to the heat-generator hot-air-distributing pipes within the oven and adjustable caps on said pipes, said caps having means for locking them in adjusted position whereby the forcible escape of hot air from any of the pipes may be regulated and controlled.

5. The combination with an oven having a vent, of a heat-generator, means for supplying air under pressure, preheating-pipes within the oven which receive air from the source of supply and connect with the heatgenerator and means for distributing heated air from the generator within the oven.

6. The combination with an oven having a vent, of a heatgenerator, an air -heating pipe having distributing branches and openings whereby air is admitted within the generator, a burner-pipe provided with burners within the generator, and an air-pipe and a gas-supply pipe connecting with the burnerpipe whereby mixed gas and air are supplied for fuel.

7. The combination with an oven having a vent and a heat-generator, of an air-supply pipe, an air-heating pipe connecting therewith and having distributing branches and openings whereby air is admitted within the generator, a burner-pipe provided with burners within the generator, means for supplying air and gas to the burner-pipe and hotair-distributing pipes whereby hot air from the generator is distributed within the oven.

8. The combination with an oven having a vent and a heat-generator, of an air-heating pipe having distributing branches and openings whereby air is admitted within the generator, an air-supply pipe, a preheating-pipe intermediate the air supply pipe and the heat-generator and lying within the oven,a burner-pipe provided with burners within the generator and gas and air connections whereby mixed air and gas are supplied for fuel.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. WATERS.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. LOWRY, C. E. WATERBURY. 

